OBJECTIVE The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESI) with using a preganglionic approach for treating lumbar radiculopathy when the nerve root compression was located at the level of the supra-adjacent intervertebral disc. MATERIALS AND METHODS The medical records of the patients who received conventional TFESI at our de...

OBJECTIVE To observe the contrast spread in superoposterior transforaminal epidural steroid injection (SP TFESI) and investigate the correlation between spread patterns and efficacy. METHODS Thirty-one patients with lumbosacral radiculopathy underwent single-level TFESI under fluoroscopy. The final needle tip position was targeted toward the SP quadrant of the intervertebral foramen. To obser...

OBJECTIVE To critically review the best available trials of the utility of transforaminal epidural steroid injections (TFESIs) or selective nerve root blocks (SNRBs) to treat lumbosacral radiculopathy. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE (PubMed, Ovid, MDConsult), EMBASE, and the Cochrane database. Databases were searched from inception through 2003. STUDY SELECTION A database search was conducted by usin...

Schwannomas are the most common tumours of the sheath of peripheral nerves. The clinical diagnosis is usually straightforward, but may be delayed for many years in a schwannoma of the posterior tibial nerve. The symptoms are often attributed to entrapment neuropathy or to lumbosacral radiculopathy. We describe 25 patients with a schwannoma of the posterior tibial nerve. Only three were diagnose...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether an epidural steroid injection or gabapentin is a better treatment for lumbosacral radiculopathy. DESIGN A multicenter randomized study conducted between 2011 and 2014. Computer generated randomization was stratified by site. Patients and evaluating physicians were blinded to treatment outcomes. SETTINGS Eight military, Veterans Administration, and civilian hosp...

OBJECTIVE Epidural steroid injections (ESI) are the most commonly performed pain procedures. Despite numerous studies, controversy continues to surround their effectiveness. The purpose of this study is to determine whether a standard, clinical local anesthetic injection can predict outcomes for ESI. STUDY DESIGN In this multicenter study, 103 patients received two ESI 2 weeks apart. Prior to...

Patients frequently suffer from lumbosacral plexus disorder. When conducting a neurological examination, it is essential to assess the extent of muscle paresis, sensory disorder distribution, pain occurrence, and blocked spine. An electromyography (EMG) can confirm axonal lesions and their severity and extent, root affliction (including dorsal branches), and disorders of motor and sensory fiber...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the F wave parameters (F duration, F minimum latency, F maximum latency, F mean latency, F chronodispersion, and F persistence) of the tibial nerve with unilateral S1 radiculopathy. We evaluated the differences of these parameters between the affected and unaffected sides and also with the control group. METHODS The study was performed from September 2007 to January 2...